Optimising test drive conversion by 100%

Test drive continues to be a graveyard for the hopes of many car websites.

Across the industry only 2.5% of site visitors begin an online test drive booking -- and of those, only 6.5% actually complete the process (source: Sophus)

VW is no exception, and I was charged with concepting and interaction development for an improved Test Drive process. Test drive conversion was a primary KPI metric for the vw.co.uk website, but was experiencing significant drop-off -- not surprisingly given that the process involved no fewer than eight stepsI proposed a staged roadmap with a more pro-active default behaviour that, using common-sense factors, would present users with the most plausible next booking with their nearest or favourite retailer. Default choice of car would also be based upon the car currently being viewed or, failing that, other cues based upon recent browsing history.

Although we never reached the final phase that aimed for a one-click booking, nevertheless the first step along the road map resulted in a more than 100% improvement in conversion during its first month of operation.